Lucky chance discoveries of gold

With gold being a metal, it is only found naturally and cannot be manufactured. However, since gold is found in the crust of the earth and could be anywhere around us, it was only a matter of time before someone stumbled upon a big nugget while carrying out their day. However, gold nuggets are not the only fortune one could find lying around. There have been several discoveries of gold and other precious metals when normal members of the public discover a lost treasure from ancient times. This article is going to focus on some of the lucky few who found pots of gold and had their lives change in the snap of your fingers.

Hoxne Hoard
After misplacing his hammer in the field, a farmer of Hoxne, in Suffolk England asked a friend for his metal detector. While looking for his hammer, on a day in 1992, the metal detector picked up a signal and led the man, much to his surprise, to a large Roman treasure that was buried under the surface. The farmer recovered 15,000 Roman bronze, silver and gold coins along with hundreds of gold and silver spoons, forks, and other pieces of jewelry. The kind farmer split his bounty with the friend who lent him the metal detector, earning close to INR 20 Crores each. Their discovery is now on display in the British Museum.

The Saddle Ridge Road
A fairly recent discovery is that of the Saddle Ridge Hoard, and stands out as one of the most incredible discoveries. In February of 2013, a couple was out walking their dog on their rural property in the gold country near the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. While out on their regular walk, the couple spotted what looked like an old, rusted metal can. Curious, the couple went over to investigate and realized that the can wasn’t an empty, worthless piece of trash at all. The can was full gold coins of $20 gold pieces known as golden eagles and was worth an estimated INR 65 Crores at the time of discovery.